A former member of boy band Menudo has claimed that Jose Menendez sexually assaulted him – almost 30 years after his two sons were convicted of murdering him.
Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted in 1996 of gunning down their father, Jose, as well as their mother, Mary Louise – a former beauty queen who also went by Kitty.
As part of their defense the brothers argued that they had been sexually molested for years by their father, a music executive, and killed him out of fear.
Now, 27 years after the convictions, Roy Rossello has come forward with claims that Jose sexually assaulted him as a teenager.
The singer was part of Menudo, a global sensation in the 80s which shot Ricky Martin to fame, and now claims Jose assaulted him several times.
Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted in 1996 of gunning down their father, Jose, as well as their mother, Mary Louise – a former beauty queen who also went by Kitty
27 years after the convictions, Roy Rossello has come forward with claims that Jose sexually assaulted him as a teenager
Speaking on a three-part Peacock docuseries ‘Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed,’ Rossello said that he was also assaulted by one of Menudo’s former managers, Edgardo Diaz.
Rossello performed with the group from the age of 13 to 16, and claims that he was taken to the Menendez’ home by Diaz – who has always denied the allegations.
The explosive claims have been corroborated by Erik, who told reporters in the documentary that he recalled seeing him in their home.
After the brothers were found guilty, a judge ruled that their claims of sexual abuse were inadmissible, despite being a possible mitigating factor in the case.
The first prosecution of the trials ended with two hung juries and mistrials. The brothers were retried together in 1996 and were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, where they remain.
Rossello can be seen pointing at a photo of Jose in a preview clip for the series, saying: ‘That’s the man here that raped me. That’s the pedophile. It’s time for the world to know the truth.’
He explained that Jose drugged and raped him when he was 14 during a visit to their home in New Jersey.
Jose was affiliated with Menudo, and was part of picking new members, because he had signed the group as an executive of RCA Records.
The brothers, who were 21 and 19 at the time, gained notoriety after killing their parents Kitty and Jose Menendez (center) in 1989 in their Beverly Hills mansion
The brothers were retried together in 1996 and were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, where they remain. Pictured – Erik (left) and Lyle (right)
Roy Rossello, second left, claims that he was also assaulted by one of Menudo’s former managers, Edgardo Diaz – who took him to Jose’s New Jersey Hoe
The brother’s murder convictions captured the nation at the time of the slayings, because they appeared to be a family of great affluence.
Lyle, who was 22 at the time, had been attending Princeton, while Erik was a professional tennis player, and was 19 when his parents were killed.
On 20 August 1989 the brothers walked into the den of their $5million Beverly Hills mansion and shot Jose point blank in the back of the head, then shot Kitty in the leg as she tried to run out of the room.
Jose was shot five times, and Kitty nine, with a final bullet being shot into their kneecaps in an attempt to make it look like a Mafia hit.
Initially police believed that the mob was behind the slayings, only arresting the siblings a year later.
The brothers argued at trial that they were driven to murder their father and mother after a lifetime of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.
Erik said that he was sodomized by his father for the first time when he was six-years-old, and Lyle testified that Jose also made him molest his own brother when they were children.
A criminal defense lawyer told the documentary that the allegations made by Rossello have given the brothers a ‘glimmer of hope’ that it could make a difference in their case.
Both Erik and Lyle are heard on the documentary discussing how the new evidence found have made an ‘enormous difference’ at their trials.
Erik said: ‘Frankly I feel horrible. It’s sad to know that there was another victim of my father.
‘I always hoped and believed that one day the truth about my dad would come out but I never wished for it to come out like this the result of trauma that another child has suffered and it makes me very sad. ‘
The brothers argued that they were driven to murder their father and mother after a lifetime of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse
Chilling crime scene photos showing the blood-soaked couch where Jose Menendez was shot five times by his own sons became central to the prosecution
His brother Lyle added: ‘It’s pretty overwhelming to hear that. We’d heard rumours that something might have happened through the years.
‘It’s a remarkable thing to happen so many decades later. Of course you know that would have made a difference at trial.
‘Certainly that would have made an enormous difference because the entire trial centred on the belief of these events.
‘Hopefully it will make a difference you think in a fair world it would.’
Their uncle, Milton Andersen, 88, refuted the new claims, saying that there was no way the new accusation could have their case re-examined.
He said: ‘They do not deserve to walk on the face of this earth after killing my sister and my brother-in-law.’
